Universeum is growing/Professorship in Education Pedagogy/

Professorship in Education Pedagogy

Together with the University of Gothenburg, Universeum is investing in learning and data visualisation through a newly established professorship in education pedagogy.

A new professorship for a new era

This newly established professorship connects pedagogical research with learning environments, programmes and the very latest digital technology at Universeum. With the power of the University of Gothenburg’s internationally leading research in both pedagogy and digitalisation, we bring about great opportunities to contribute to the development of learning in natural sciences, technology and mathematics.

The purpose of the professorship is to promote children’s and young people’s learning in science, technology and mathematics at Universeum and at the same time conduct research on data visualization and learning. This means that for the first time, we will receive applied research at Universeum.

The professorship is closely linked to Universeum’s investment in data visualization, with the upcoming visualization dome and the newly opened visualization lab. These and other environments become both the place for visitors’ experiences and applied research.

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– It will be cool. The digital technique gives us amazing opportunities to design for a experiential learning. But the technique has now value on it’s own. The most interesting is how it can help the humanity and contribute to learning.

With a focus on data visualisation and learning

Lena Pareto is the professor who, from an educational perspective, will explore how the very latest data visualization technology can be used to stimulate learning. She received her PhD in computer science in 1995 and has since then been both passionate about and researching how technology and digitalisation can support people’s learning in different situations.

She has her workplace at Universeum as well as the Department of Education, Communication and Learning in the Faculty of Education at the University of Gothenburg.

Photo: Kristin Viktorsson

The possibilities of data visualisation

With data visualisation, it is possible to create a visual experience of complex relationships or changes over time. When the visitor is not limited to things that we can normally see and experience, they can gain an understanding of various phenomena, such as how mathematical calculations are done or how our planet has evolved over millions of years.

If the visitor can also interact with the data and try out what happens if you change something, the experience becomes even stronger. Right here, at the intersection of man and technology, there are answers to how we create learning situations around the data and the interaction with it.

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– Digitalisation and AI change the conditions, context and form of education and knowledge creation for the individual and society. The use of AI puts high demands on visualising the data that is built into the technology, so that the lessons learned there are made available for knowledge creation. This investment will be a decisive contribution to the creation of a research environment, which will put West Sweden at the forefront when these new technologies are to be used in the formation of our future.

Sec. Kenneth Odéus, Kungliga och Hvitfeldtska stiftelsen

– The investment in data visualisation and AI for learning in mathematics, natural sciences and technology also promotes future medical research, something which is specifically within our range of interests. The latest technology will be used and create a learning situation around data visualisation. There is great potential in experience-based learning and the University of Gothenburg and Universeum coordinating their efforts has many benefits.

President. Christina Backman, IngaBritt och Arne Lundbergs Forskningsstiftelse

– We are very pleased to contribute to the establishment of a professorship and research in this very important activity for the future and the coming generations.

President. Ola Johannesson, FRF-stiftelsen

– Mary von Sydows Foundation, born Wijk, donation fund are happy and proud to be involved in taking the research work at the University of Gothenburg and Universeum forward

President. Oscar von Sydow, Stiftelsen Mary von Sydows donationsfond

The professorship is a joint initiative of the University of Gothenburg and Universeum. This has been made possible by the FRF-stiftelsen, the Foundation Herman Kreftings Stiftelse för Astma och Allergiforskning, the Foundation IngaBritt och Arne Lundbergs Forskningsstiftelse, the Foundation Kungliga och Hvitfeldtska stiftelsen and the Foundation Stiftelsen Mary von Sydows donationsfond, which have joined forces and jointly donated funds.

The professorship is part of Universeum’s major investment in digitalisation and is part of our development programme with sights set on a next generation science centre. Together, these initiatives promote several other research areas, such as medicine, pedagogy and sustainable development.